


Firefly (Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader) (unfinished)

by themostmarvelousimagines



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-09 19:44:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8909593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themostmarvelousimagines/pseuds/themostmarvelousimagines
Summary: The reader works as a secretary for SHIELD and has a very unique relationship with Bucky Barnes. During the week leading up to Christmas, the two must decide between their jobs or their relationship.





	1. Red

**Author's Note:**

> Yay new series! I'll be posting a new chapter every day until Christmas! I'm pretty happy with how it's looking at the moment, I hope you all like it as well. :-)

Initially, when you’d accepted your job at SHIELD, you expected it to be at least a little bit exciting. Maybe you’d have to deal with the Agents a lot, or maybe even a few villains, if that was a thing that SHIELD let secretaries handle. Yet, by some ungodly means, you were dead wrong. Your job was boring as shit. Most days you thought watching paint dry would be more exciting than your job. It wasn’t always bad, however, whenever a certain brown-haired heart-breaker stopped by to brighten your dull days.

Bucky Barnes was the closest thing you had to a friend at SHIELD, even if you very rarely saw him. You were closer with Bucky than with any of your coworkers, which was only a little weird. He knew you by name, and had taken an immediate interest in you when you joined SHIELD. It was almost as if he was drawn to you somehow, and it wasn’t just because he had to pass you every single morning on his way into work. While the other Avengers lived in the base, he had opted not to, and found a place nearby. He said he preferred the solitude to roommates.

Bucky was more than polite to you. He’d left flowers on your desk on your birthday, brought you coffee if you ever had to work late, and, once in a blue mood, he would write you encouraging notes if he knew you were having a rough day. You would be lying if you said it didn’t turn your attitude upside down whenever he smiled at you or tried to- unsuccessfully- flirt with you. Evidently, he was very good at being smooth when he didn’t speak. The moment his mouth opens, however, the words in his brain aren’t the words that come out. Your personal favorite failed compliment was, “Your hair looks like it was done by angels.”  
It wasn’t what he meant to say, not even close, but it was sweet nonetheless.

Somewhere in his semi-sweet sweet talk he had given you the nickname of “Firefly,” and you still weren’t sure where it came from. You weren’t even sure when he first said it, to be totally honest. One day you were deemed Firefly, and, while strange, you weren’t about to fight it. The fact that someone like James Buchanan Barnes was giving you the time of day was already shocking, so you tried not to spoil that friendship as best you could. If he wanted to call you Firefly, you were Firefly.

You left the elevator with a smile on your face and Manila folders in your arms, something magical in the air that December morning. Snow was beginning to pile up on the ground outside, but only lasted until the sun melted it into icy slush. Even still, the signs of the holidays were upon you, which put a certain pep in your step.

You all but bounced down the hall to Captain Rogers’ office, your eyes sparking as you caught a glimpse of frost on a nearby window. You knocked twice, swung open the slightly agape door to Steve’s office and stepped inside, the click of your heels muffling as they hit the soft carpet.

“Good morning, Y/N,” Steve said as you entered, greeting you with a polite smile. 

“Good morning,” you replied, “Mr. Stark asked me to get these to you once they were finished being filled out. He said they were pretty important.”

“Thank you,” Steve said. You handed him the folders and he began looking through them without missing a beat. You took that as your que to leave, so you turned on your heel and began to walk out when someone stopped you.

“What, I don’t get a ‘good morning’?” A familiar voice said from the corner of the room, the smile on his lips hanging on his words. You turned and faced him, a mock-annoyed look on your face.

He was lounging in a leather armchair, one of his legs resting on a matching ottoman. Fatigued couldn’t even begin to describe his appearance. Disheveled, drained, or maybe overworked seemed more appropriate. His hair was falling all around his face and over his shoulders, and it looked like it hadn’t been washed in a few days. His olive-toned t-shirt was lightly wrinkled, his shoes were nowhere to be seen, and he had deep navy circles framing his under eyes. You started to wonder why he looked like he’d just woken up when it hit you that you never saw him leave the day before.

“Good morning, Bucky,” you said, “You look like you slept well.”

Bucky chuckled and sat up straight. “I got a full thirty minutes,” he said, his eyes crinkling as he smiled up at you. You folded your arms and raised an eyebrow at him like that of a disappointed mother.

“You didn’t go home yesterday, did you, Bucky?”

“Didn’t feel like driving. Besides, I had a lot of important work to do.”

“Playing Foosball with Sam until four in the morning didn’t sound very important,” Steve interrupted, shooting Bucky a look from under his eyelashes.

“You wouldn’t understand,” Bucky grinned, “Foosball is an art that I have mastered and I refuse to waste my talent.”

“Talent, sure,” Steve muttered, returning his attention to the files on his desk.

Bucky chuckled and shifted his gaze back to you, his eyes softening but his smile never faltering. “You look nice today, Y/N. Is that a new top?”

“It is,” you grinned, looking down at the blouse that now matched the shade of red on your cheeks.

“I like it,” Bucky said, leaning forward and clasping his hands in front of him. “You should wear that color more often, it’s stunning on you.”

“Thanks,” you smiled. It wasn’t like him to successfully compliment you, so you were a bit taken aback. “I’ll, um, I’ll try to remember that.”

Bucky nodded and stared at you for a few more moments before you finally took your leave, muttering something about papers needing to be filed. He watched you leave, unable to help the starstruck expression on his face even after you were long gone.

“What was that?” Steve asked.

“What? She looked nice,” Bucky replied, looking at Steve dumbfoundedly.

Steve stared at his friend for a few moments, shook his head, and returned to his work. Bucky had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. He knew exactly what Steve was talking about, but he was hoping to avoid the conversation for a little bit longer.

The last person who approved of Bucky’s behavior towards you was Steve. It wasn’t a jealousy thing, it was more of a, relationships-with-normal-human-beings-are-near-impossible-for-people-like-us-and-impede-on-work kind of thing. Steve’s words exactly, if Bucky recalled correctly.

“Why don’t you go find Nat and help her get some things together for next week’s mission,” Steve said, still reading through the folders you’d given him. “She always forgets flashlights.”

“Do we really need them, though?” Bucky asked, half jokingly. Steve shot him a look and he was on his feet and out the door in two seconds flat.

The day dragged on as it always did. Paperwork, setting up appointments, and lengthy phone calls seemed to drain the life right out of you lately. The sun had set by the time you were ready to go home, much to your dismay. The last thing you wanted to do was walk out into the freezing night after having been inside the warm building all day.

You slipped on your coat and prepared to brace the cold when you were stopped.

“Want me to walk you to your car?” Bucky asked, his hand coming to rest against the handle to the large glass door that you were mere inches away from opening.

“Only if you promise to stop sneaking up on me,” you replied, to which he offered an apologetic smile.

Bucky opened the door and gestured for you to go in front of him. You complied and had to refrain from gasping when a large gust of air smacked into your person. Not soon after you, Bucky followed, and for the first time you realized he wasn’t wearing a coat.

“Are you insane?” you half shouted, half laughed.

“What?” he asked, furrowing his brow.

“How can you be out here in just a t-shirt?” you asked, gesturing to his lack of coat.

“Trust me, I’m colder than I look,” Bucky said. You shook your head and began the trek to your car, which was proving difficult with the weather. Once at your destination, you turned to Bucky to thank him, but he was nowhere to be seen. Hadn’t he just been behind you?

“Bucky?” you shouted, scanning the parking lot for any sign of him. Not another soul in sight.

Just as you began to worry, something cold and solid hit you between your shoulders, causing you to gasp loudly. You turned on your heel and spotted Bucky in the nearby field, a ball of slush in one hand and a devious grin on his face.

“You did not just do that.”

“I was aiming for your head. Guess I’m not as good of a shot as I used to be.”

“If I wasn’t in a skirt I would be kicking your ass into next week right now.”

“Why is the skirt stopping you?”

You squared your shoulders and silently accepted the challenge. You set your bag on top of your car and walked calmly toward the field where Bucky was watching you. The moment you stepped into the snow, your foot sunk further down than you expected. Another loud gasp escaped your lips as you began to lose feeling in your foot.

“Y/N, I didn’t think you’d actually come out here,” Bucky said, his voice laced with concern. He watched you with wide eyes as you stood there, your head down and your body shivering, as if you were still coming to terms with how cold the snow was. The idea of you getting frostbite sent Bucky into a mild panic and he approached you.

“Y/N, you’re gonna hurt yourself if you don’t move-”

As soon as Bucky was within a foot of you, you lunged forward, pushing him down into the snow and toppling with him. He hit the snow with a loud groan and you landed on top of him, laughing uncontrollably all the while.

“I’ve been defeated,” Bucky moaned dramatically, covering his eyes with his arm as his metal one rested against your waist. “If I had a white flag, I’d be waving it.”

“Good,” you grinned, “Maybe now you’ll think before you throw things at me.” You rolled off of him and onto your back beside him. The two of you laid there in the snow, still laughing ever so slightly, until the snow began to melt beneath you.

“Hey, Firefly?”

“Hm?”

“I can’t feel my legs.”

“Me neither.”


	2. Interruption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky takes the reader on an unexpected date. The two bump into some friends who join the date, and the reader is given reassurance about Bucky's feeling toward her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoookay so I asked the Best Friend™ what she thought about the first chapter and she mentioned that Bucky had both arms which didn't make sense. So lemme explain if that confused anyone else: This is basically an AU where he didn't lose his arm and joins the Avengers after the events of Civil War instead of going into cryo.  
> Why? Because I'm thE ARTIST I'LL DO WHAT I WANT  
> Sam x Wanda could be implied here if you want to take it that way, totally up to you. I left it open to interpretation :-)

The next morning, it was almost impossible to tell that you and Bucky had been laying in the snow just hours before. A new, untouched layer of frost covered the impressions you had each made, much to your disappointment. You were really hoping to see Bucky’s butt imprint one more time, dammit.

It was no surprise to find another large stack of folders on your desk upon your arrival. You let your bag slip from your shoulder and hit the ground gently, accompanied by a short grunt. The last thing you were hoping for was a mountain of exciting mission reports that had nothing to do with you. They might have been more interesting if you could have actually been a part of them.

About an hour into sorting through an endless heap of paper, a tap on your desktop startled you. You sat up quickly, blinking a few times to readjust to reality. Apparently you got a little too focused.

“Morning, Firefly,” Bucky smiled, “Enjoying yourself?”

“Look me in the eye and ask me that again,” you half growled. Even his natural charm wasn’t enough to sweeten your soured mood.

Bucky held his hands up defensively and chuckled. “I take it you didn’t sleep so well after almost getting hypothermia?”

“I slept like a baby,” you said, “It was the waking up that I struggled with.”

“Yeah, I’m right there with you,” Bucky said, eyeing the elevator as Steve walked out into the foyer. “Hey, ah, when do you um, when do you get off work today?”

“Four, why?” you asked, following his gaze.

“I’ll meet you here at four then,” he said, flashing you a grin before joining Steve. You watched him with curiosity, your mind racing with a million questions. Why did he want to meet you after work? Why did he clam up when Steve walked in? How could he manage to look like a Greek God so early in the morning? Only time would tell, you supposed.

It seemed like it was taking a lifetime for 4:00 to roll around. No matter how much you tried to stay focused, your mind kept wandering back to Bucky and why he wanted to meet you. Without meaning to you began daydreaming, something that you knew you would regret later. You had to entertain yourself somehow, so you spent the day thinking of Bucky.

Once it was finally time to leave, you gathered your belongings at an embarrassingly fast speed. You found yourself ready to go far before Bucky had even arrived, and the anticipation was killing you.

You weren’t sure why you were so nervous, seeing as though you were totally comfortable with him in general. Maybe it was because it was, in all technicality, an arranged meeting. No matter the reason, you couldn’t stop yourself from bouncing your leg under your desk and fussing with anything and everything in front of you. Every time the elevator opened and Bucky didn’t step out, you felt your heart pick up in pace.

Finally, fifteen minutes after four, Bucky emerged from the elevator looking just as gorgeous as he had that morning. Maybe he was some kind of God, if he could still look like a million bucks after a long day at work.  
He approached the desk and motioned for you to follow him outside, which you did without question. The sun hadn’t quite set yet, so the sky was a deep shade of vermilion that cast a captivating aura on everything in sight. Once Bucky was sure the two of you were out of earshot of anyone, he turned to you and smiled.

“How was your day?” he asked.

“Fine,” you answered, “Slow, as always. How was yours?”

“Fine. I had to teach some recruits how to shoot rifles,” he said, shifting his weight as he spoke. “One of them almost shot Nat.”

“Sounds exciting,” you said.

“Yeah, try telling that to Nat,” he chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. “So, I wanted to talk to you about something, or ask you something, I guess.”

You nodded, waiting for him to explain.

“Sam was telling me about this place, it sounded really interesting but I didn’t really want to go by myself,” he said, “So I wanted to know if you’d come with me.”

“Kinda depends on where and what it is,” you replied, trying to hide your excitement. He was asking you on a date. Holy shit, he was asking you on a date.

“It’s supposed to be this… light display thing,” he explained, “It’s kinda hard to explain. I guess you walk around and look at lights?” Bucky pulled out his phone and scrolled through a few photos that Sam had sent him, showing them to you.

“I know where that is,” you said as he showed you the photos, “It’s a garden; I think some church owns the property. It’s incredible.”

“Really incredible,” Bucky agreed, “That’s why I wanted to take you with me. I thought maybe, I dunno, you’d like something like that.”

“I think that sounds great,” you agreed, unable to hide your grin any longer.

Bucky extended his hand to you, very 18th century, may-I-have-this-dance-esque, and said, “Shall we then?”

-

The garden was more than incredible. It was breathtaking, enchanting, and magical all rolled into one. You weren’t too hot on the idea of the venue being outdoors, but once you started walking around, you didn’t care in the slightest. Bucky had his arm around your waist in a very casual fashion, just loosely enough that it wasn’t vice-like, but tight enough to get the point across. And boy, was he getting the point across.

You felt like a child. There was no other way to put it. You felt like you’d been plucked from reality and placed into your own little fantasy world, and you never wanted to leave. The elaborate display of string lights stretched across a mesh wire tunnel. Inside the tunnel you found benches, various kinds of plants and flowers, and empty stone fountains. During the warmer months, the fountains would run water day and night, but were dry during the winter.

What felt like miles of red, green, blue, and white lights formed different designs and patterns, some even hanging from the ceiling of the tunnel. Clusters of people were spread out along the path, all taking their time admiring the scenery.

“You said Sam told you about this place?” you asked as you took in your surroundings.

“Yep,” Bucky said, “He said it was ‘cool as shit.’“

“He definitely was not exaggerating,” you chuckled.

The two of you wandered aimlessly through the maze of a garden, stopping every now and then to geek over how gorgeous everything was. You really weren’t sure how long you walked around together, but it didn’t seem to last long enough. Soon your feet grew tired, so you both decided it best to take a break on one of the wooden benches.

“I’m really glad we came here,” you told him, looking his direction for probably the first time since arriving. As wonderful as he was to gawk at, the lights were just a little more interesting at the moment.

“I am too,” Bucky said, still scanning the area with interest. You watched him as he did, your chest swelling at his wonder-struck expression. Very carefully, you slipped your hand into his and waited to gauge his response. To your delight, his smile grew in size and his hand closed around yours.

“Barnes!” someone yelled from the other side of the tunnel, someone who could only be Sam Wilson.

“Sam?” Bucky asked, standing up and staring at his friend in confusion.

“Hey man!” Sam shouted, trotting over to the pair of you happily. A woman with long, dark hair and kind eyes followed him, and as she got closer, you recognized her as Wanda Maximoff. Like magic, you were suddenly extremely self-conscious in her presence. She looked effortlessly flawless, like she wasn’t even trying at all. You silently wondered why Bucky wasn’t interested in someone like Wanda, or that woman Natasha. They were both probably ten times as interesting as you were, you figured. You had to smack yourself mentally for letting those thoughts get into your head.

“I didn’t know you would be here tonight,” Sam said excitedly, giving Bucky a quick hug. Sam slapped Bucky’s back as they embraced and Bucky did the same. The muffled clapping sound made you wince, and you were suddenly very grateful that you weren’t obligated to smack your friends when you hugged them.

“I didn’t know you’d be here either,” Bucky said, looking back to you and motioning for you to stand next to him.

“Who is this lovely lady?” Sam asked, wiggling his eyebrows as you stepped forward.

“This is Y/N,” Bucky said, putting his arm around your waist once again.

“Hello,” you said politely, half waving to Sam and Wanda. The two exchanged approving looks with each other, looked at you, then Bucky, then back at you.

“You work at the front desk, correct?” Wanda asked.

“I do,” you answered. It was probably the strangest feeling in the world to be recognized by Wanda Maximoff. Like a celebrity stopping you on the street to talk to you about the comment you left on their post. It just didn’t feel normal in the slightest.

“Well, since we’re all here,” Sam said, “Why don’t we all walk around together?”

“Sounds great,” Bucky said with a nod. You and Wanda both did the same and watched as Sam dragged Bucky off, leaving the two of you to follow.

“He’s just joking around, you know,” Wanda said reassuringly, referring to Sam hi-jacking your date.

“I kind of figured,” you smiled, watching the pair of goofballs laugh as they walked in front of you.

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Wanda said. She pursed her burgundy lips together, as if choosing her next words carefully. “Barnes has a hard time shutting his mouth about you.”

“I didn’t know he talked about me at all,” you replied with a gentle blush. The thought of Bucky sharing the details of your relationship with the Avengers both flattered and terrified you.

“Don’t worry,” she said, nudging you playfully, “He only says good things. He thinks good things, too.”

“Oh,” you said, at a loss for words. You’d completely forgotten that she could basically read minds. Suddenly, it was very difficult to think of anything but your deepest, darkest secrets.

As if sensing this, Wanda laughed. Her laugh was as clear as a bell and extremely delightful to listen to, considering her somewhat intimidating persona. It was near impossible not to smile when Wanda laughed. The tension in the air melted away at the sound of her laugh, and you felt much more comfortable than you initially had.

“Y/N… I wanted to tell you, you have nothing to be insecure about,” She said, her voice dropping in volume. “Bucky thinks only of you. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else, especially me, or Natasha.”

Her statement left you feeling suspicious. Had she read your mind earlier without you knowing?

“Yes, I did.”

Damn.

Eventually Sam returned Bucky to your side, but not before a lengthy discussion about the importance of how to treat a lady. According to Sam, dating was pretty different now compared to the 40’s. Bucky humored him of course, not wanting to tell his friend that he was already aware of modern dating norms.  
The four of you strode around the garden, making small talk and cracking jokes every now and then. You never would have guessed that Wanda was so sarcastic just from looking at her, but her satire levels were off the charts. It made for a very entertaining evening just listening to her give Sam shit about teaching parrots in a pet store how to say “Tony Stark smells like old boots.” He, of course, refused to admit that it ever happened.  
The night began coming to a close and people began leaving the venue in groups, which seemed like the first sign it was time to call it a night.  
“Thanks for a great double date,” Wanda said jokingly as you all stood at the entrance of the tunnel.

“Anytime,” Bucky chuckled. His arm was, once again, circled around your waist, only a bit tighter than before.

“See you tomorrow man,” Sam said as he and Wanda waved their goodbyes. The two disappeared into the crowd, leaving you and Bucky alone once more.

“I’m really sorry,” Bucky said, “I didn’t know they would be here.”

“I don’t mind,” you replied, “I actually had a lot of fun. It was nice to get to know people I work in the same building with.”

“I guess I’ll have to take you on an actual date sometime,” Bucky sighed, “Go somewhere no one will bother us.”

“Are you saying that this wasn’t an actual date?” you asked, raising an eyebrow at him. He looked down at you and smirked.

“I’ll leave that up to you,” he said, his voice throaty. The sound made your toes curl.

A surge of confidence overcame you and suddenly you were standing on your toes, placing a delicate kiss to the side of his face. Your hand came to rest on his other cheek and he leaned into your touch, relishing in the feeling.

“You call that a kiss?” Bucky chuckled as you pulled away, making you stop in your tracks. You were about to ask him what he meant when his arm slid all the way around your torso, pulling you flush against his muscular frame. He was warm, warmer than he was the night before when you tackled him into the snow. You tried to question him a second time but didn’t get a single syllable out before his lips were pressing into yours in a meaningful kiss.


	3. The Best Thing Since Sliced (Ginger)Bread

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky goes against Steve's wishes and initiates a relationship with the reader via string lights and gingerbread.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *fart noise* I haven't slept in two days ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ Here's chapter three, ya sillies

“Come over tonight.”

Um. Did he actually just say that to you? Maybe you didn’t hear him quite right. There’s no way he would ask you to go to his house after one date, that would be absurd.

Not to say you wouldn’t decline the invitation, if it entailed what you think it would.

“Are you looking at me like that on purpose?”

“Like what?” you asked, finally finding your voice.

“Like I just asked you to help me murder someone.”

“Well, did you?”

“Y/N, you baffle me sometimes.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

Bucky grinned. “It isn’t.”

You shook your head at him and leaned forward on your elbows, mimicking his smile. “I really didn’t hear you. I don’t think I did, I mean. I probably heard you wrong.”

“I asked you to come over tonight,” he repeated with a shrug.

Looks like your ears were working just fine.

“You, um… you do realize how… forward that sounds, right?” you asked, lowering your voice.

“What? What do you mean it- oh. Oh my god, no- I didn’t mean- dammit, I’m so sorry, that’s not what I was asking at all, I swear to God I wasn’t trying to-” Bucky stammered on, and his face grew redder and redder the more he spoke. A few people were walking through the lobby and slowed their steps when they saw Bucky standing there, babbling like an idiot. Guess it wasn’t a regular occurrence.

“It’s okay,” you said with a gentle laugh, “Don’t hurt yourself, Rudolph.”

Bucky laughed nervously and lowered his head, kicking himself mentally. He wished he still had the confidence he’d had the day before, but for whatever reason, it just wasn’t there anymore.

 

“I was going to tell you that after last night, I went out and found the same kind of lights that were at the garden,” he explained, “String lights, I think. I wanted to see if you’d help me put them up.”

“I don’t see why not,” you shrugged, “I’d need to go home first, but I’d love to.”

“Buck,” Steve’s voice cut in, “Come talk to me when you’re… not busy.”

“Be there in a sec,” Bucky called after him, then turned to you and took your chin between his thumb and forefinger. “I’ll see you later, Firefly.”

-

It wasn’t like Steve to talk to Bucky in his office, not in a professional way, at least. One of Bucky’s favorite places was the armchair in the corner, but he’d never been sat down in front of Steve’s desk. That just wasn’t ever necessary for the two, they were so close that they didn’t need to have ‘meetings’, they just spoke to each other freely.

This time was notably different. The atmosphere in the room felt tense, the blinds had been drawn closed, and it was eerily quiet. If he didn’t know any better, Bucky would have thought Steve was about to fire him.

“Is everything okay?” Bucky asked, eyeing Steve suspiciously.

“No,” Steve replied bluntly, “I need to talk to you about Y/N.”

Bucky groaned and slouched in his seat, resembling an annoyed teenager. “Steve, we’ve been over this, I like her. She’s not going to take me away from you or the team, she’s not like that. She and Wanda even talk now, they get along great. You can’t convince me to stop-”

“That’s not what I need to talk to you about.”

“Then what is it? Please, enlighten me. You can’t govern my love life like you govern the team, Steve.”

Steve stared at his friend, expressionless. In his mind he was piecing his words together, trying to find the best way to talk to his friend without ruining their friendship.

“Do you know Clint’s wife, Laura?” he asked.

“Barton’s married?”

Steve nodded. “They have kids, too. No one knows about them but the team, and even we weren’t supposed to know they existed.”

Bucky became silent, beginning to see right where Steve was going.

Steve took the pause to continue. “Director Fury set them up somewhere too far for anyone to find before he went underground. Can you guess why?”

Silence.

“We put the people we love in danger, Buck. It doesn’t matter how much we think we can protect them. Someone, somewhere will try to use them against us. I can tell you right now that if things keep going how they’re going, Y/N will end up with a huge target on her back. I don’t think any of us want that, for you or her.”

“She can protect herself,” Bucky mumbled. Who was he kidding? He couldn’t even convince himself of what just came out of his mouth. He’d love to believe it, but he couldn’t.

“Maybe,” Steve nodded, “For a while. She’s smart, she wouldn’t try to fight. Maybe she could buy herself some time if anyone tried to take her somewhere. But what happens when an undercover HYDRA Agent sees the two of you, together? Don’t you think they’d do to her what they did to you? What then?”

“Then I kill them,” Bucky said simply. He locked eyes with Steve before adding, “I’ll kill anyone that tries to hurt her. End of story, no regrets. I can live with that.”

“Bucky, you’re not understanding-”

“I understand perfectly.”

Steve leaned back in his reclining chair and took a deep breath, covering his mouth with his hand and measuring his remaining patience. There was nothing else to say, nothing that would convince his friend to see things from a different angle.

“I guess I’ll let you figure it out for yourself, then,” Steve said, standing from his chair. “Can’t say I didn’t try to help.”

-

The drive to Bucky’s place was longer than you expected. When he told you he lived near the facility, you didn’t exactly picture a tiny house in the middle of the woods of Upstate New York. That’s what it was, a quaint two-story home taking up very little space in a grove of snow-coated trees. It was a miracle that you could even find it at all, but hey, Google Maps isn’t always a useless piece of shit.

After finally managing to pull your car up to the house- thanks, slush- you took a moment to sit and enjoy the heater. The cabin before you was built from some kind of dark wood, had two perfectly square windows on either side of the door, and a chimney standing tall from the roof. The best and most obvious feature, however, was the string of multi-colored lights hanging loosely at the base of the roof. Looked like Bucky had gotten started already. You wondered to yourself why he’d want to live in such seclusion, and then almost smacked yourself in the face. This was Bucky. It made perfect sense that he’d want as much privacy as possible.

Shuffling proved far more effective compared to walking through the thick layer of snow on the ground. Tufts of white powder flew up at you as you dragged your feet, sticking to your jeans and boots like glue. You huffed and a large cloud of fog came out of your mouth, and then dissipated.

You knocked on the large oak door twice and stood, waiting, shivering, and wishing you had a thicker coat. The door opened and angels sang as a rush of warm air cut through the icy air around you like a hot knife through butter. Cruel, frozen butter.

Bucky ushered you inside quickly, shutting the door behind you and beginning to take your coat. You waved him away, still catching your breath from the frigid conditions.

“Pretty cold out here, huh?” he snickered.

“Freezing,” you said, your voice shaking.

“Sorry, I should have warned you,” he apologized. His arm snaked around your waist and he led you to the couch in the center of the room. You sat slowly, your joints still aching from the cold.

The floor level of the cabin was one large room with the makings of a kitchen, living room, and dining room. A brick fireplace gave off cozy, romantic lighting from in front of a large leather couch. Off to the side, near a sliding glass back door was a curved staircase that led to what you could only assume was Bucky’s bedroom. An involuntary shiver ran down your spine when the thought crossed your mind. Luckily, you could just pass it off as still being cold.

Much to your surprise, the furniture itself looked pricey. It all looked vaguely out of place, from the stainless steel kitchenware to the hand-carved dining chairs. It was like someone found an abandoned cabin, bought tons of expensive shit, put it inside, and called it home.

You must have been showing your thoughts on your face, because Bucky picked up on it pretty quickly.

“I told Stark not to put all this stuff in here,” he sighed, “It’s… too much. If I wanted nice things, I’d have stayed at HQ with the others. Some days I just wanna throw it all in the creek behind the house.”

“Why don’t you want any of it? Not just the furniture, I mean… why you don’t want to stay in the dorms with your friends?” you inquired.

“I spent so much time in Bucharest, I guess I just got comfortable living off of basically nothing,”- he knelt down and stoked the fire-“I liked being alone. Not all the time, but I liked…” he trailed off, “I liked not having to answer to anyone anymore. I was starting to feel like a real person again.”

“Makes sense,” you nodded, “Must have been weird coming back.”

Bucky stayed silent for a long time, clenching and unclenching his metal fingers. The silvery plating of his arm shifted as he did this, the prosthetic emitting a soft mechanical noise. He was staring down at it, watching the flames from the fire reflect against the metal.

“So, why is it so much colder up here?” you asked, changing the subject.

Bucky added a log to the fire. “Altitude,” he said, “You’ll probably have a hard time breathing because of it, so… try not to panic if that happens.”

“You’re telling me you asked me to come all the way up here, just to take my breath away?”

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”

“You cheesy fucker.”

-

Lights were hung, Christmas Carols were belted out, and fresh gingerbread was sitting out on the counter, half eaten. Bucky had failed to tell you that not only did he buy six boxes of string lights, he also bought a festive vinyl and boxed gingerbread mix. Of course, that was nothing to complain about.

By the time you were finished with everything, it had to have been well past midnight. The two of you were sprawled out on the couch, Bucky’s head resting in your lap while your feet were propped on the coffee table. Your fingers were tangled in the mess that was his hair, gently pulling out knots and smoothing down any frizz. He was staring up at you, his eyes full of stars as you told him your favorite childhood Christmas stories.

“The whole snowman just crumbled, oh my god, I was so upset. I was out there for hours, all for this stupid thing to just give up on me after all I did for it. I gave it life and it spat in my face.”

“Sounds like you and snow have a bad history together,” Bucky chuckled beneath you.

“Not so much anymore,” you said, “I tackled some guy into a bunch of it the other day. It was kind of a blood sacrifice, pretty gruesome. Poor sucker was surrendering in no time.”

“Winter is a cruel and unforgiving mistress.”

“Definitely.”

After a brief pause, Bucky sat up. “Can I show you something?” he asked.

You shrugged and gave him an inquisitive look. “Sure.”

He took you by the hand and led you to the sliding glass door, opened it, and stepped outside. There was a large slab of cement in front of the door that thankfully had no snow on it. Bucky led you to the edge of the concrete and stopped.

“Look way out in the distance, there’s something down by the creek I want you to see,” he said, pointing into the forest.

“Is it something that will scare me?” you asked timidly.

“Depends on what your definition of ‘scary’ is, babe.”

You scanned the horizon without question, but came up with nothing.

“There’s nothing out th-”

Two arms wrapped all the way around you and suddenly the ground beneath you disappeared. You let out a scream when you felt yourself falling, then your back collided into an untouched patch of snow. When you opened your eyes, Bucky was hovering above you, laughing hysterically.

“Blood sacrifice, huh?” he said between laughs, “How’s this for a blood sacrifice?” He leaned down and nibbled from your neck to your ear playfully; tickling your skin and making you squirm in laughter underneath him.

“You scared me, you jerk,” you said breathlessly. Payback sure was a bitch.

“That was kind of the idea,” he grinned. He held himself up with his hands, placing them on the ground beside either side of your face. Your hips bumped together as you laughed, and for the first time you really, really noticed just how close he was.

Soon your laughter died down and you were left staring into each others eyes, not saying a word. One of Bucky’s hands moved a few strands of hair out of your face then lingered there, running the backs of his fingers from your forehead to your cheek. One of yours, in turn, came to rest on his chest, just below his collarbone.

Something in the way he looked at you suddenly changed from adoring to hungry.

Everything he and Steve had talked about that afternoon was thrown to the wind. It all moved to the back burner, none of it mattered to him in that moment. HYDRA be damned, you were all he wanted. He was willing to take that risk.

“Um, Bucky?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m cold.”

“Guess we’ll just have to go inside and warm up then.”

“Good, that fireplace is calling my name.”

“Not really what I meant, but I’d happily bang you in front of the fireplace.”

Christ. That was bold.

A blush crept onto your face and your mouth fell open. You’d intended for words to come out, but instead, all you did was stutter and trip over your own voice.

“What? Was I being too forward?” he asked in a facetious tone.

You faced the fact that your words were failing you, so you gripped the collar of his shirt and pulled him downward to connect your lips. Without missing a beat, he began picking you up, your backside soaking from melted snow. Once he had you straddling his waist, he carried you inside, and closed the back door with his foot. He even managed to get your shirt halfway off, all without breaking the kiss once.

You didn’t think you’d ever say it, but that night, you were extremely grateful for the fact that he lived in the middle of nowhere.


End file.
